abdallah mostafah kohif prospective assessment

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Korn/Ferry’s ProSpective Assessment is an online assessment tool created by Korn/Ferry International to assist LinkedIn users with their career

development. Leadership characteristics are based on research by Lominger International, a Korn/Ferry company.

ProSpective Assessment

Abdallah Mostafah Kohif's Assessment Results

These are your Top 5 Leadership Characteristics:

Understanding the BusinessYou have earned a seat at the table. You have regular interaction with senior executives, andthey see you as a credible partner. You speak the language of business. With your high levelof acumen, you are able to analyze and speak intelligently about customers, competitors, andbusiness strategy. You have a clear point of view. The payoff is that many leaders seek youout to ask your opinion about the potential impact of business decisions.

Communicating EffectivelyYou are clear and credible when you communicate. You are knowledgeable about the topic.You have an interest and a passion in the message. And you are in tune with your audience.You adjust your message and delivery appropriately for the audience. You are an articulate,engaging speaker and a strong writer. Your use of stories, visuals, descriptions, and tonecaptivate the reader or the listener. You effectively inform, persuade, coach, and inspire.

Focusing on the Bottom LineYou are achievement oriented. You are eager to take action and see results. Even when youencounter obstacles, your energy and perseverance keep you going. You are motivated andoptimistic. At your best, you ensure that your actions are focused rather than lettingmomentum take over. You attribute much of your strong performance to your sense ofurgency, drive, and resilience.

Managing Work ProcessesYou understand and manage processes well. You know that the best processes are dynamicand require constant evaluation and tweaking. You see how all the pieces fit together and howone affects the other. You build in feedback loops and monitor key metrics. Optimizing for

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Abdallah Mostafah Kohif's Assessment ResultsManaging Work Processes: Top 5 Characteristics (Cont'd)

efficiency is something you focus on—you are always looking for continuous improvement.

Relating SkillsMost people would say that you are a likable person. You relate well to all kinds of people. Youmake other people feel at ease. You are genuinely interested in other people. And younaturally build relationships by inquiring about people’s interests, priorities, and perspectives.After spending time with you, people feel like they matter. Your positive, affirming naturemakes others feel important and valued. People are quick to offer the same respect andconsideration back to you.

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Potential Blind SpotsBlind spots are characteristics that you overestimate. You are likely to see yourself as stronger in these skills thanothers see you. A self assessment can give you insight on potential areas for self improvement, however, askingothers for their input by doing a network assessment will give you far greater insight on your blind spots. Here areyour potential blind spots and some ideas for next steps:

Dealing with TroubleOne of the most difficult aspects of leadership is challenging the status quo, dealing withdilemmas, and handling conflict with others. Leaders that fail to do this effectively risk adivided team, a resentful staff, and a culture of mistrust.

Take the long view – Giving negative feedback is uncomfortable in the moment, butwithholding such feedback can be a disservice in the long-term. Honest feedback openslines of communication and opens the door for development and improvement over time.

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Commit to transparency – Everyone should be held to the same standards of behavior,and processes for receiving feedback and addressing problems should be uniform acrossthe team. Make sure everyone is clear on what the standards and practices are and try tokeep rules consistent over time.

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Build trust – Consistency, honesty, and respect are essential ingredients to building trust.Feedback should be given consistently, in private, and whenever possible, in person.Remove anger and generalizations from your message (i.e., “always,” “never”). Point outspecific behaviors that need changing and collaborate on a shared plan for improvement.

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Getting Work Done Through OthersOne of the most difficult transitions people face as they move up the ladder is transformingtheir approach to managing others. Direct step-by-step instruction and discipline gives way torelationship building, empowerment, advocacy, and coaching.

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Abdallah Mostafah Kohif's Assessment ResultsGetting Work Done Through Others: Blind Spots (Cont'd)

Empower – Taking a command-and-control approach to leadership has its advantages,but it also involves a lot of extra stress and expended energy. Delegating work is one of thebest ways to develop and empower others. Add some coaching and support to the mix,and you have a recipe for bringing out the best in people.

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Eliminate barriers – Part of your job as a leader is to make sure your team has what itneeds (resources, time, support, information) to get their jobs done efficiently. Listen tofeedback from your team about where the system bogs down and use your influence andadvocacy to clear their path.

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Spend your time wisely – It is tempting to continue to do the work that you love—the workthat got you promoted. But once you manage other people, your job responsibilities shift.Spend less time on tasks you have mastered and more time on tasks that only you can do.

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Making Tough People CallsBeing skilled at reading people will get you only so far in the ongoing and challenging task ofidentifying, attracting, and retaining the best people for your team. Much more than instinctand good intentions are needed to pull off one of the most difficult aspects of effectivemanagement.

Focus on the Big Four – Resist the temptation to load up on data when evaluatingsomeone. Narrowing your focus around four key aspects—skills, training, attitude, andwork ethic—will help you make objective, fair, and reliable personnel decisions.

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Diversify – Relying on referrals, instinct, or personality similarities limits your talent pooland can result in a homogenous, static team. Reaching across generational or culturalbarriers to find the most skilled people will keep teams dynamic and balanced.

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Systematize – Use job descriptions, skills assessments, and consistent hiring procedures.Clearly communicate standards for promotion, bonus, and performance expectations.Keeping poor performers around sends the wrong message and might cause your best

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Abdallah Mostafah Kohif's Assessment ResultsMaking Tough People Calls: Blind Spots (Cont'd)

people to disengage. Keep the team lean and strong, and be consistent in your standards.

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Potential Hidden StrengthsHidden strengths are characteristics that you underestimate. You are likely to see yourself as weaker in theseskills than others see you. A self assessment can give you insight on potential areas for self improvement,however, asking others for their input by doing a network assessment will give you far greater insight on yourhidden strengths. Here are your potential hidden strengths:

Balancing Work/LifeYou have multiple roles and interests in your life. You are clear about your priorities, and youfind balance that works for you. You recognize the need to be flexible on the work andpersonal fronts. At times, you may work long hours because you’re on a deadline. Other times,you take advantage of a lull at work and spend more time with family. You recognize the risksand costs associated with how you choose to spend your time, and you are comfortable withthe choices you make.

Creating the New and DifferentYou are able to envision a future that no one else sees and invent things that haven’t beenimagined. You focus a lot of your time on gathering information and asking good questions.Because you value all points of view and look broadly for information, you are able to makeconnections across many fields and use analogies that help you think differently about aproblem. During brainstorming, you value the outlandish and the absurd—which can sparknew thinking. You don’t judge. You don’t hem people in. You believe that many people withdifferent ways of looking at the world will always outperform any one individual’s ideas. Youare not afraid of failure. Fail early, fail often is almost a mantra for you. You expect a result thatwill wow clients and strive to make it a reality.

Making Complex Decisions

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Abdallah Mostafah Kohif's Assessment ResultsMaking Complex Decisions: Hidden Strengths (Cont'd)

When you mull over a problem, you can fill pages with plus and minus columns, mind mapsketches, lists of options, and various other notations. You gather enough data, but you don’tget too bogged down in it. You find the essence of a problem. You take into account all of themoving parts. When you look for patterns, you assess whether it’s something you’ve seen inyour past experience. But you don’t get caught up with surface similarities. Subtle differenceswill lead you to take a new course of action—one that you haven’t tried in the past. Once youland on a decision, you are aware of the risk but confident that your approach has the bestchance for success.

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Problem AreasProblem areas can be hard to talk about. However, we want to arm you with as much information as possibleabout the roots of success as well as known causes of derailment. Through studying the career trajectories ofthousands of individual contributors, managers, and executives, we’ve identified the five most common barriersto career success. If you suspect one or more of these areas is a problem for you, the section below will provideinitial steps toward improvement.

Doesn't Relate Well to OthersEveryone knows someone who has enjoyed unbridled career success, despite their less-than-winning interpersonal skills. Those exceptional people are out there, but they are exceptionsindeed. Far more often than not, people who lack openness, flexibility, graciousness, andsocial sensitivity tend not to advance as quickly in their careers as people who do possessthose skills. If you find yourself cutting people off in mid-sentence, reacting defensively whenyour ideas are challenged, pulling rank instead of negotiating, or losing patience with peoplewho differ from you, there’s a good chance that you’re not relating to others as effectively asyou could be. Improving in this area will be essential to your success, and not doing so is likelyto slow or stall your career progress.

Open up to feedback – Negative feedback, upsetting as it may be, is also incrediblyvaluable information. And the person who gave you that honest feedback has done you afavor. Practice active listening, thanking the source for his or her thoughts, andsummarizing what you heard. This will increase the likelihood that that person will come toyou with similar concerns in the future.

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Demonstrate humility – Ironically, as people become more self-assured, they also tend tolet go of their need to be “right” and allow for more healthy debate and flexibility in theirthinking. If you catch yourself digging in your heels or shutting down people who disagree

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Abdallah Mostafah Kohif's Assessment ResultsDoesn't Relate Well to Others: Problem Areas (Cont'd)

with you, challenge yourself to slow down, take a breath, and really consider other ways oflooking at the issue.Foster collegiality – The people who work with you may not be your friends, and you maynot even like them very much. But they most certainly are your colleagues, and becausethey also serve your organization, you have a very important goal in common. Try to fosterprofessional respect for your colleagues, even if true admiration or friendship is unlikely.

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Self-CenteredWho can argue with ambitiousness and self-esteem? No one. You have to believe in yourselfand promote yourself to get ahead in this world. But in the absence of real self-awareness,your efforts at self-promotion could be backfiring on you. Bringing self-awareness into the mixmeans paying close attention to your strengths and your weaknesses, opening yourself up tolessons and insights from others, and sharing wins with everyone who contributed along theway. A little humility can help you tone down the potential negative effects of healthy self-confidence. Letting go of your need to impress others will have the paradoxical effect ofincreasing your overall likability. Holding on to a self-centered approach with others can taxyour relationships and ultimately slow or stall your career progress.

Trace the source of your success – It’s easy, in the wake of a big success, to recall theingenious contributions you brought to the table. But the simple reality is that practicallynothing gets accomplished in a vacuum. Think back on all the doors that were opened,thoughts shared, and even extra grunt work done that helped push that ball toward thegoal. Then hand out the thank-yous.

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Work on your brand – Who are you to the people around you? Who are you in yourorganization? You might be charismatic and bright and talented and assertive, but unlessyou have the real support of others, your personal brand may be suffering. Try adding“good listener, facilitator, collaborator, and encourager” to your repertoire.

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Abdallah Mostafah Kohif's Assessment ResultsSelf-Centered: Problem Areas (Cont'd)

Team build – Teams form around a sense of shared vision, effort, risk, and reward. Peopleconnect to efforts they feel personally invested and involved in. When someone on theteam is overdriving or dominating the effort, the fabric of the team begins to fray. Hangback, draw people out, and let the synergy begin.

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Doesn't Inspire or Build TalentOne of the toughest career transitions you’ll ever face is making the switch from individualcontributor to leader. When you’re used to relying entirely on yourself, it can be a shock to findyourself at the mercy of a team. Anyone in a new leadership role struggles with how torelinquish control, trust others, inspire people to bring their best, build a sense of teamcohesion, identify individual strengths, and grow leadership capabilities in others. If youstruggle in these areas, welcome to the club. But if you want to be a leader, it’s essential thatyou learn how to inspire and grow the people on your team by providing the right balance ofdirection, coaching, and support. You will see improvements in this area as you begin to giveup some control and depend upon others. Not doing so will likely slow or stall your careerprogress.

Be a leader – Contrary to what many people believe, emerging as a leader is not aboutdominating, outshining, and beating others to the punch. Great leaders are people whoknow how to elicit outstanding work from their team and help develop leadershipcapabilities in others. Great leaders listen closely to their team, cue into individualstrengths, and step aside so others can practice taking the lead.

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Keep it safe – Healthy debate is part of any strong team, but triangulation, favoritism,trash-talking, or sabotage is not. If you’re leading a team, you’re also helping to set thetone for what’s acceptable. Allowing for bad behavior makes the team unsafe andunhealthy. It’s all right to be the downer sometimes, set limits, and referee so that peoplecan relax and connect and do their best work.

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Abdallah Mostafah Kohif's Assessment ResultsDoesn't Inspire or Build Talent: Problem Areas (Cont'd)

Delegate to develop – Delegation is not only about leveraging your team and increasingefficiency, it’s also about developing the members of your team. Bringing them closer totough decision making, complex problem solving, and personal investment means you’renot overburdened, and they’re stretching and growing on the job.

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Too NarrowIt was probably your deep level of expertise that got you noticed in school and later at work.People relied on your insights and technical prowess, your patience with complex ideas, andyour ability to get to the root of a problem or see a hidden solution. These skills won you somuch admiration and respect that they eventually got you promoted. Congratulations! Now forthe hard part: in this new role, you’re expected to do things that make little or no use of yourspecialized skills—managing people and projects, collaborating with other departments,hustling for resources, making strategic decisions, and solving operational problems. Nowwhat? Challenge yourself to break away from your comfort zone and focus on broadening yourskill set. Finding ways to continuously learn about things outside your field will give you freshinsights and augment your contribution at work. Holding on too tightly to what you know canmake you seem narrow and rigid and will likely slow or stall your career progress.

Deploy yourself – One of the most marketable experiences you can put on your resume ishaving worked in another country. What this communicates is your ability to functioneffectively in an entirely novel context. If moving out of the country isn’t on your list ofthings to do, reaching across departments or cross-teaming with experts from otherfunctional areas can also stretch and grow you in ways that will pay off across the board.

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Trust your instincts – If analysis is your game, you may not be making the most of yourinstincts. One of the rewards for developing true expertise in a particular area is that you’velikely developed a sixth sense for when things feel right, wrong, or where an interestingsolution might be hiding just out of sight. Don’t be afraid to break from the data occasionally

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Abdallah Mostafah Kohif's Assessment ResultsToo Narrow: Problem Areas (Cont'd)

and let your intuition be your guide.Broaden your horizons – Being a good forecaster and strategic thinker requires keepingan eye out for patterns and trends across multiple fronts—science, business, and the arts.Challenge yourself to read journals from outside your area of expertise and watch forinterconnections across systems (culture, demographics, economics, etc.). This will lead tounexpected insights in your own field and help you anticipate what’s coming around thecorner.

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Korn/Ferry InsightsHere’s how you compare to others:

Understanding the BusinessUnderstanding the Business is moderately important at all levels of leadership and is linked tosuccess early in your career. The skill level for most people in Understanding the Business isvery high, so you will need to combine it with other skills to pull ahead of the pack. One of thereasons most people have this skill is that it’s easier to learn, compared to other skills. Yourknowledge of how businesses operate and your expertise in your functional area are likely tobe considered price-of-admission qualities.

Communicating EffectivelyCommunicating Effectively is particularly important at the individual contributor level. Thenumber of people who are good communicators tends to be lower at the individual contributorlevel but steadily increases among managers and executives. With a little effort, this skill is nothard to develop. The ability to tailor your delivery and clearly articulate your points buildscredibility for both you and your message.

Focusing on the Bottom LineFocusing on the Bottom Line is critically important. It is highly correlated with performance andpromotion at the individual contributor and manager levels. Most people tend to be good atthis, partially because organizations clearly communicate their desire for people who getresults, and it’s easy to identify and measure this skill in others. Focusing on the Bottom Lineis a non-negotiable for anyone who wants to succeed at work.

Managing Work Processes

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Abdallah Mostafah Kohif's Assessment ResultsManaging Work Processes: Korn/Ferry Insights (Cont'd)

Managing Work Processes is highly correlated with strong performance at the manager level.Managers are often responsible for seeing the big picture and understanding how the piecesinterrelate. Most people are low in this skill, and it is moderately difficult to develop. The abilityto see a process as a dynamic system and to understand how tweaks create ripple effects is avital contribution to a business and will differentiate you from other leaders.

Relating SkillsRelating Skills are particularly important at the individual contributor level. Most people’s skill inthis area is high, and it is moderately difficult to develop. Leaders who are skilled in this areaare also likely to be skilled in Managing Diverse Relationships and Being Open and Receptive.While the presence of these interpersonal skills may not be enough to get you promoted, theabsence of these skills can stymie your progression up the leadership ladder.

Balancing Work/LifeBalancing Work/Life ranks among the lowest skills for leaders at all levels, and it is harder todevelop than most leadership skills. Ultimately, the way you balance between work and life isa personal choice. The ability to consciously make trade-offs and get what you want out ofyour career and personal life can help you balance career achievement with other things youvalue.

Creating the New and DifferentCreating the New and Different is correlated with strong performance at the manager andexecutive levels. Most people’s skill level in Creating the New and Different is low, and it isharder to develop than most leadership skills. For these reasons, it is a good idea to focus ondeveloping this skill as early as possible in your career. Your ability to generate breakthroughswill be noticed, appreciated, and sought after because it is the source of competitiveadvantage that companies seek.

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Abdallah Mostafah Kohif's Assessment ResultsKorn/Ferry Insights (Cont'd)

Making Complex DecisionsMaking Complex Decisions is highly correlated with strong performance across all leadershiplevels and is associated with further promotion at the manager level. It is moderately difficult todevelop. While the skill level for most people in Making Complex Decisions is high, individualcontributors and managers frequently underestimate their ability in this area. Having both theskill and confidence to solve tough problems and deftly handle new situations will be missioncritical at all stages of your career.

Dealing with TroubleDealing with Trouble is highly correlated with strong performance at the manager level.Dealing with Trouble is a rare skill among individual contributors but improves at the managerand executive levels. It takes courage to handle conflict, deliver tough feedback, and stick yourneck out for an unpopular idea. These are the things that make Dealing with Trouble harder todevelop. It is a good idea to begin to develop this skill as early as possible in your career sothat by the time you lead and manage others, you are prepared to handle tough, controversialsituations.

Getting Work Done Through OthersGetting Work Done Through Others is important, particularly at the manager and executivelevels. However, it is an extremely rare skill. For most leaders, this is their lowest-rankedleadership skill, and it is one of the most common blind spots at the executive level. GettingWork Done Through Others is easier to develop, in part, because organizations providecourses, coaching, and other resources to help leaders improve. It is difficult to give up doingthe work yourself, but your ability to direct, coach, delegate, and develop can mean thedifference between lackluster and stellar results.

Making Tough People Calls

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Abdallah Mostafah Kohif's Assessment ResultsMaking Tough People Calls: Korn/Ferry Insights (Cont'd)

Making Tough People Calls is important at the manager and executive levels, but few peoplehave this skill, regardless of leadership level. This is one of the most common blind spotsacross all levels of leadership. Making Tough People Calls requires keen observational skills,the ability to assess accurately, and the courage to make the decision to hire, fire, or promote.For these reasons, Making Tough People Calls is moderately difficult to develop.

Doesn't Relate Well to OthersDoesn’t Relate Well to Others is a staller that can slow your career progress. Doesn’t RelateWell to Others is somewhat likely to be a problem across all levels of leadership; however, it issomewhat more common at the executive level. While it is less harmful than other stallers, it isa factor that can lead to flame-out at the manager and executive levels. Many leadersunderestimate this problem to some degree. Defensiveness, inflexibility, being too private orself-reliant can derail your career or cause it to prematurely plateau.

Self-CenteredSelf-Centered is a staller that can slow your career progress. Compared to other stallers, it isless likely to be a problem for most people. It is somewhat harmful to success, and it is aknown derailer, particularly at the manager level. Being too ambitious, arrogant, oruntrustworthy will be perceived negatively and can derail your career or cause it toprematurely plateau.

Doesn't Inspire or Build TalentDoesn’t Inspire or Build Talent is a staller that can slow your career progress. Compared toother stallers, Doesn’t Inspire or Build Talent is the most likely to be a problem, and it is moreharmful to success. Many leaders underestimate this problem to some degree. This area is aknown derailer, especially at the manager and executive levels. The inability to select,develop, and empower talent will choke your ability to get results and lead a healthy,

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Abdallah Mostafah Kohif's Assessment ResultsDoesn't Inspire or Build Talent: Korn/Ferry Insights (Cont'd)

productive team.

Too NarrowToo Narrow is a staller that can slow your career progress. Compared to other stallers, TooNarrow is more likely to be a problem but tends to be least harmful to success. Many leaders,particularly at the individual contributor and executive levels, underestimate this problem tosome degree. This area is a known derailer, especially at the executive level. Over-reliance ona single skill set or area of expertise can brand you as someone who lacks perspective or isstuck in the past.

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abdallah mostafah kohif prospective assessment

Documents

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self assessment

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online assessment tool

leadership characteristics

negative feedback